Top 10 Greatest QB's of All Time

Without a doubt, Super Bowl XLVI is going to be the most hyped sporting events in recent memory. The game features a rematch of the 2007 Super Bowl and includes two of the largest markets in the world of Sports. I’ve already seen numerous headlines such as “Brady’s Revenge”, “The Rematch” and my personal favourite, “Brady and Eliath Round 2”.


Although both will deny it vehemently using robotic phrases such as “We’re only concerned with winning this game”, “I don't pay attention to what people are saying” and “It’s an honour even to be mentioned with those guys”, their quarterback legacies are on the line.

For Eli Manning, it’s a stepping stone. With at least five years left in his prime, Eli has the opportunity to get his 2nd Super Bowl ring. For context, consider that 19 different Quarterbacks have won a single Super Bowl. Only 10 have won it multiple times. He has proven this year that he is an elite quarterback and with a win, would solidify himself as one of the top 25 passers in the history of the game. People will claim he should be considered better than Peyton (which is pure insanity if you ask me), others will say even with his ring(s) he isn’t in the top 25. The critical thing with Eli is that he has a few prime years left in him. With the Giants talent, it’s not unreasonable to think that he could wind up with 3 rings (only four QBs have that many), in which case we would need to rethink the argument.

On the other side of the field, Tom Brady has the chance to establish himself as the greatest of all time. A win would put him in a three-way tie for most rings ever with Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana. Bradshaw has the rings but rarely cracks the top 5 list of greats as he won with the aid of an outstanding supporting cast and defense. That leaves us with Montana and Brady. Tom will have the more gaudy numbers having played in the pass heavy era. Montana will be remembered as mister clutch, having never lost the big game (something Brady has already done). A loss for Brady would essentially eliminate him from the discussion and leave Montana alone at the top. It would prove that Brady is vulnerable (2 Super Bowl losses to the same team), and draw attention to his lack of playoff success in the latter half of his career.

Regardless of where you land on the above arguments, one thing is certain: this Super Bowl has everyone talking about who the greatest QBs of all time are and how we go about quantifying and substantiating that group. In my opinion, rings matter, but only so much. They matter enough to push Tom Brady ahead of Peyton Manning, but no one is going to sit there and say that Trent Dilfer was better than Dan Marino for getting a ring. The best way to come up with this list is put yourself in the following hypothetical scenario:

- You are the GM of an NFL Franchise
- Every player in the league is a free agent (no one is on your roster)
- You have the first pick of free agents and it must be a quarterback
- Every player of all time is 25 years old and in perfect health
- Contracts don’t matter
- Whoever you decide to pick will play in their respective era. (If you pick Brady it will be the 2000’s. If you pick Bart Starr it will be the 1960’s. The offensive systems of that time will be prominent.

With that in mind, here's the order the guys come off the board:

1. Joe Montana
Until Brady wins his 4th, Joe’s still the king of the mountain. His record four Super Bowl Championships all came as a direct result of his superior play. Critics will say that he had Jerry Rice and Bill Walsh at the helm, but it was still on Joe to execute and make the necessary plays to win games. Something he did on such a consistent basis that it looked easy.

2. Tom Brady
I’ll say it right off the bat – If Brady wins the Super Bowl, he jumps to #1 on my list. Brady has had talented targets but no one like Rice (voted #1 NFL Player of all time). In today’s NFL, he is the prototypical quarterback. A guy who can make all the calls at the line, make every throw and is at his best with the game on the line. Love him or hate him, appreciate the fact that we are watching one of, if not the greatest of all time.

3. Peyton Manning
I’m sure people will disagree with this one, but based on the criteria above, it’s an easy decision. Manning hasn’t won the rings, but his legacy only grew this season with how awful the Colts did without him. Remember that the Patriots won 11 games without Tom Brady a few years ago. I’ll take Peyton third overall and build a better team around him. His inability to consistently win the big games drops him below Brady, but Manning changed the quarterback position forever.


4. Johnny Unitas
Johnny U was the most dominant passer of his era. He only won one Super Bowl, but he also grabbed two NFL Championships prior to the Super Bowl era. Johnny’s record of 47 straight games with a touchdown pass is still intact, which is remarkable when you consider the differences in offensive trends between then and now, but his most important quality was his leadership. When it comes to leadership, Johnny is tops on this list. In college he played both ways (usually leading his team in tackles), and it was this ‘win-at-all-cost’ mentality that fans and teammates loved.

5. John Elway
One thing that a lot of people don’t remember about John is that he was a tremendous athlete. Elway could make plays with his feet when necessary, but usually preferred to use his rocket arm as the primary weapon. John didn’t win a Super Bowl until late in his career, but cemented his legacy by winning 2 straight. Clutch? You bet. Elway orchestrated what is simply known as “the drive”, to beat the Browns in a classic AFC Championship game. In a two-minute drill, he is at his best. He took a much maligned franchise in Denver and turned them into a perennial contender.

6. Brett Favre
#4 is my boy. He’s been my favourite player since I was young and is mainly responsible for turning me into a football fan. He leads the league in all statistical passing categories (including interceptions), has won a Super Bowl and 3 MVP awards. Favre is the consummate gunslinger. Having a knack for the theatrical, Favre would make miraculous plays out of nothing and never shied away from the long ball. People look to his 2 critical interceptions in NFC Championship games and somehow believe that he ‘always blew it’. Favre had his share of mistakes, but the good outweighed the bad by a mile. He played at a high level for nearly two decades registering his best statistical season at the age of 40.  Brett's toughness is unmatched and he will go down as one of the most entertaining players in the history of sports.

7. Bart Starr
The MVP of the inaugural Super Bowl couldn’t have been awarded to a more deserving player. At the time of his retirement, Starr had led the Packers to five NFL championships (2 Super Bowls), was the MVP of both Super Bowls he played in and was a career 9-1 in postseason games. Starr also had the highest completion % in NFL history and is currently ranked 2nd all time for playoff passer rating. Starr was unquestionably the greatest QB of his era and was at his best when it mattered most.


8. Dan Marino
Rings don’t mean everything. Despite not winning the big game, Marino led the Dolphins to 10 playoff appearances in 17 years. Unless you were a Dolphin fan back in those days, you’d be hard pressed to name a star receiving option on the Fins at any point in his career. People that knock Marino for not winning typically haven’t seen him throw the ball. Watching him throw is a thing of beauty. The quickest release combined with pinpoint accuracy and an incredibly strong arm provided Marino with what I believe to be the best arm in the history of the NFL. His resume is flawed because he never won a championship but football is the ultimate team sport and you can’t win on your own. Marino is too good to be any lower – rings or no rings.

9. Troy Aikman
Aikman won three world championships in Dallas and will forever have a special place with Cowboys fans. Yes he did have Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin, but Aikman made it all work. Smith’s success was fueled by the fact that opposing defenses had to respect the pass when playing Dallas. Aikman, Irvin and Smith were nicknamed the ‘triplets’ – a fitting nickname as they all were equally valuable to each other’s success. Troy is one of the worst colour commentators ever, but he is one of the best quarterbacks ever.

10. Terry Bradshaw
Ok, so Bradshaw is a lot different than most of the guys on this list. He didn’t have the greatest arm, and to be honest, the Steelers of the 1970s were so good that didn’t have to do too much. However, when it comes down to it, there’s only one stat used to gauge quarterbacks – wins. I would pick everyone ahead of Bradshaw on this list because I believe they would get me more wins than he would, but I honestly believe that the guys after him wouldn’t produce as many. He was a tremendous leader and a powerful football player. He called all of his own plays (something often overlooked) and was good enough at it to lead the Steelers to 4 Super Bowl championships. As the late, great Al Davis used to say, “Just win baby”.

Just missed the cut: Steve Young, Fran Tarkenton, Roger Staubach